Academic Writing Month (#AcWriMo)

Brought to you by ANU Researcher Development team: Professor Inger Mewburn (@thesiswhisperer), Dr Cally Guerin and Dr Derek Panchuk.

Need to get some writing done before the end of the year? November is academic writing month! Join the Researcher Development community online for a festival of writing, set your writing goals and have some company along the way. We will provide online writing sessions, a register for recording your output, and lots of writing workshops to help you reach your goals.



Why do it?

Writing always seems to take longer than we expect, and for lots of us it’s really very hard work – so we procrastinate and procrastinate… Breaking through your usual barriers and establishing the habit of writing is very motivating. AcWriMo will kickstart your writing and provide a community to help you succeed.



How does it work?

You decide how many words you are going to write each day in November, or how many hours you will devote to writing each day. Aim high, but within reach.



Sign up via this form, then follow the link to register your writing goals. At the end of each day enter your output for the day; at the end of each week, tally the results and brag about your total.

#AcWriMo workshops

Enjoy writing again!

Our theme for AcWriMo 2021 is ‘How to enjoy writing’. Lots of people struggle to get on with their writing, and some of you may not be enjoying it very much at the moment. This series offers a range of ways to find positive energy for writing in November, creating momentum that you can carry through into the rest of your writing project. Join up for whichever sessions are right for you.

03 Nov| Finding writing energy with the right support

10 Nov| Honing your peer review skills

17 Nov| Thriving in your PhD

24 Nov| Maintaining writing enjoyment beyond AcWriMo

Write like an Olympian

Do you think of yourself as a high-performer? Do you approach your writing like a high-performer? Dr Derek Panchuk has worked with some of the best coaches and athletes in the world to help them achieve their potential. In this 4-part series (come for one or come for all) we’ll explore habits and activities that have helped Olympic athletes reach the podium and how you can use these tactics to create your own high performing writing habits!

04 Nov| Setting the bar for writing success

09 Nov| Deliberate practice for productive writing

18 Nov| Performing when it counts

23 Nov| (Self) coaching and feedback

Writing in company – value+

The AcWriMo weekly writing sessions are designed to help you get extra value out of your writing efforts. Participants announce their specific tasks for each session. This advance preparation means that you will be ready to get straight into the writing the moment the bell goes. Research writing expert Dr Cally Guerin will guide participants through the sessions, providing on-the-spot suggestions and advice.

05 Nov| Writing in company - value+

12 Nov| Writing in company - value+

16 Nov| Writing in company - value+

22 Nov| Writing in company - value+

How to write: the workshops of the book

Professor Inger Mewburn (@thesiswhisperer) will take you on a journey through her favourite writing hacks from her best selling book 'How to fix your academic writing trouble'. You’ll learn how to make your writing clearer and more persuasive. Inger assumes you're already an accomplished writer, but want to hone your craft. If you’ve ever got feedback like ‘your writing doesn’t flow’ or ‘this doesn’t sound very academic’, then these workshops are for you! The sessions will have one hour of instruction and an hour where you can stay on, if you like, to practice what you have learned and ask questions.

01 Nov| How to plan your last year last year of writing

02 Nov| How to diagram your writing

08 Nov| How to write logically connected sentences

11 Nov| How to write with less word clutter

15 Nov| How to write more compelling sentences

19 Nov| How to write clearer sentences

25 Nov| How to write a more powerful paragraph

26 Nov| How to write about other people's research